The Unknown
by Emmi30307
Summary: "When questioned, Ms. Roth informed me that today was July first." That was five months ago..Her head jerked to look at the door when she heard a soft pad of feet. She just looked at him with narrowed eyes. The doctor said she knew him, but she'd never seen him before in her life. Tall, dark shaggy hair, toned body, piercing ice blue eyes. Yup, definitely never seen him before.
1. Chapter 1

The Unknown

**Chapter 1**

"I hate you! You're such an ass, I don't know what I was thinking-"

"Just SHUT UP and get the hell out of my face!"

"I don't know why I'm still here. I don't know how I ever could have let this happen! I never should have let you get this close- I never want to see your fucking face again!" And with that said she stormed out of the house, and slammed the door behind her, before he could get a word in edgewise.

The storm was raging outside. It kept her mind off the fight. She was still fuming when she ran through the pouring rain and climbed into her car.

Lightning lit up the sky, revealing him standing in front of one of the windows, watching the headlights of her car turn on. He knew they would regret the fight later. He already regretted pushing her past her limits.

She was muttering curses under her breath as she drove along another section of flooded road. It had been storming for three days straight now. And she was sick to death of all the floods and the branches in the roads. Visibility sucked, and the wipers couldn't even keep up with the onslaught of rain water.

He thought about calling her up, apologizing, but he didn't want to give in, not this soon. They both knew, deep, **deep** down, that he had a point but she was too stubborn to back down and say so. She told him that she was doing just fine with things the way they were, and he knew she wasn't about to go back on that statement. At least not if she could help it.

She spaced for a moment, before blinking away the image of his ice blue eyes. The whole dashboard of her car was lit up. She looked out her window and was met with the high-beams of a tractor trailer truck coming directly at her.

The horn blared.

The wave was bigger than her car.

She screamed.

They crashed and her car flipped.

She could hear her phone ring as her world slowly got darker.

******Save Me******

s chance she has of waking up.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this..." He muttered.

It tore him up inside. There was nothing he could do for her. With a nearly inaudible sigh he walked up to the head of the bed, gazing at the beauty it contained. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he wondered when she was going to wake up. If ever. He took her small hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb across her knuckles for the first time since the accident. To his shock and amazement, something changed.

She twitched. She was waking up.

Moving as quick as possible he pushed the call button for the doctor. Praying he wasn't imagining this.

The doctor walked in about a minute later. Richard had since moved to the foot of the bed to resume his anxious pacing. Seemingly determined to wear a hole into the floor since he had been pacing in the same spot every day. Without taking his eyes off the girl in the bed he spoke.

"She twitched."

The doctor sent a disbelieving glance his way before checking the girl. "None of her stats have changed, not even the slightest bit. Are you sure she twitched?"

Richard leaned on the chair that he had been sleeping in way too often. "Yes, I know she did. I saw it. I **felt** it."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at the young man. "You felt it?"

He didn't believe it.

Richard sighed again.

"I was holding her hand." He stated. He had resisted touching her for this long and he missed her. The feel of her skin. The sound of her voice. He missed everything about her and just couldn't take it anymore. He had finally broken down and taken her hand in his.

The doctor checked everything very closely.

"Nothing has changed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients that I need to see."

Richard growled softly as the door clicked shut. He knew he didn't imagine it. He had _felt _her twitch.

He leaned on the foot of the bed, examining her. The I.V. was still providing the nutrients she needed. Her breathing was still slow and steady. The last of the bruising from the accident was still fading.

_She was lucky. Things could've been _**_much _**_worse. She was _**_very _**_lucky she got out of that crash with just a bunch of bruises and cuts...if only she hadn't hit her head..._

He was so lost without her and her snide little comments. Oh how he loved her sense of humor. With a resigned sigh he went and sat on her bed again. He took a deep, nerve calming breath and took her hand in his again.


	2. Chapter 2

The Unknown

**Chapter 2**

She could see a light at the end of the tunnel. It was dim but it was still there. It was the first time she had ever seen it.

The light lasted only a few moments before it disappeared completely. The darkness retuned to her. It seemed like an eternity before the light came back again. This time it was brighter.

He felt her twitch again. He smiled and gently squeezed her hand in his.

She felt herself being pulled towards the light. It was warm. The light kept getting bigger and brighter the closer she got to it. The next thing she knew she could hear a steady beeping. And feel a light pressure on her hand? What was that from? It was somehow comforting though, so she squeezed lightly back.

He felt her hand squeeze his. He smiled as his gaze wandered up from her hand and watched her eyes flutter open.

"You're awake?" It was more of a statement than a question though.

She just stared blankly back at the man in front of her. Blinking slowly she realized she was still holding his hand. She pulled her arm towards her with a slight blush.

Confusion settled in as he watched her pull her hand away. She looked confused and nervous.

"What's wrong?" His voice was quiet. She looked like she would spook easy at the moment.

_Even though its usually impossible to scare her. _

Her eyes darted around, looking for some way to get rid of him. Her hand brushed against the call button. She pushed the button.

He saw her push the call button, and knew the nurse would be coming in any second.

"What's wrong? Does something hurt?" He asked with worry creeping into his voice as he stood up and reached to brush some hair out of her face.

She tensed and knocked his hand away. This creep was touching her, and to add to it she didn't have a clue what was going on.

Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

*****Remember*****

He stared at her unblinking.

_Who are you? _

Her words ran through his head. He didn't want to believe it.

_I WON'T believe it!_

Just as he opened his mouth to speak the door to her room opened. He could have sworn he saw a brief flash of relief in her eyes.

"Ah, Ms. Roth. You have awakened at last. Sir, could you step out for a moment?"

Richard wanted to argue with the doctor but thought better of it and kept his mouth shut as he left the room.

Standing a few feet in front of the door, Richard paced. He must have been pacing for a good ten minutes before the doctor came out, closing the door behind him.

"What's wrong with her?" Richard immediately asked the older man.

"She has amnesia. When questioned, Ms. Roth informed me that today was July first."

_That was five months ago..._

"That was right after her mom was admitted to the hospital." Richard was scared. She had lost two extra months, while she had only been in a coma for three.

"But that doesn't explain why she doesn't know who I am. I've known her for years..."

The doctor tapped his chin with his pen, thinking.

"Maybe she blocked you for a reason. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen it." The doctor was quiet for a moment before walking off.

Richard took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to face his girlfriend. He slowly opened the door and walked back in.

Rachel needed to figure out how to see her mom. That doctor told her that she couldn't get out of bed yet and so kindly informed her that an alarm would sound if she got up.

_Yeah, he was so helpful. _She thought dryly. Her head jerked to look at the door when she heard a soft pad of feet.

"Hi Rachel."

She just looked at him with narrowed eyes. The doctor had said that she knew him, but she had never seen him before in her life.

Tall, dark shaggy hair, toned body, piercing eyes.

_Yup, definitely never seen him before. _She would have remembered the soul piercing eyes.

"I'm Richard. How are you feeling?" He noticed that the lights had been dimmed and she seemed a bit more comfortable in the darker room.

_Same old Rachel. _

"Do I know you?" Her voice was even, not giving anything away even though she had a feeling that she could be open around him. She almost felt _attracted _to him. And **THAT **bothered her to no extent.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 3**

He nodded giving her a small smile. Richard figured it would be a while before she was totally comfortable around him again.

"We've been friends since middle school. In high school I finally got the guts to ask you out, but only after one of the gang leaders started harassing you-" He had taken a seat in a chair by the bed just before she interrupted him.

Rachel momentarily distracted, put thoughts of her mom aside and asked, "So you only asked me out because of him, were you just trying to find a way to protect me?" She wasn't sure how much she believed but she was still intrigued by the story.

"No. I had other reasons for asking you out. But he helped me realize that I never wanted any other guy to ever touch you again. I never wanted to see you hurt."

"So what you're saying, is that you're my boyfriend?"

Richard nodded slowly, wondering what she was thinking.

Rachel looked at him with a raised eyebrow, coming to a conclusion.

"You're insane." She didn't believe one word of it. She'd never even seen him before. How could any of that be true?

"You don't know me, or anything about me so why don't you just go away and leave me alone." And with that said she let her thoughts wander back to her mother and how she was going to get to her.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"You never had many friends as a little girl and tried not to get too attached to those you had, fearing they would leave you." His voice was level and spoke slowly.

She looked over at him when she heard his voice.

_How the hell does he know that?_

"You don't trust easily and push people away because of it. Kind of like what you're trying to do now with me."

Rachel narrowed her eyes a little more as he listed a few other personal things that she thought no one know about her. It was all true and she didn't like that he knew so much about her when she know absolutely nothing about him. She finally closed her eyes and put her hand up, having heard enough.

"Stop. That's enough. How do you know all this?"

He sighed and looked into her eyes as he spoke,

"You told me all this at one time or another."

She shook her head,

"I don't know you. I don't like this-"

"I know, you like to feel in control." He finished with a small smile.

"I want you to feel in control Rachel, and I'm happy to help you feel in control if you'll let me?" Richard knew her answer before she had even opened her mouth. A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she slowly replied,

"Okay."

"I want you to trust me Rachel." _I want you to remember me. _

He sighed mentally. Richard knew he had a long, hard road ahead of him. He reached forward and put his hand over hers.

Rachel tensed and pulled her hand away.

_Too soon Dick, it's too soon for that. _He thought sadly.

*******Dealing*****

"Fine, but you have to help me with something. My mother is here, in the hospital and I need to see her but there's an alar-" He didn't give her a chance to finish.

"Rachel, you can't see her." Richard hated to do this.

She glared at him.

"Why the hell can't I see her?" She was worried and mad that he was sounding like he won't help her.

Richard had missed her fiery temper. But he didn't want to tell her. So he stood up and made his way to the door speaking as he went,

"I'm going to see when they're going to let you leave." And with that he disappeared down the hall.

***Distraction****

Rachel was sitting in the passenger seat of Richards car, furiously glaring at his dashboard. She didn't want to be in his car. She _wanted _to stay at the hospital and go see her mother.

Richard glanced over at her.

"What did the dashboard ever do to you?" He asked jokingly.

She didn't so much as glance his way, let alone give a reply.

"Rachel?" His voice held concern.

"Look I know you're not exactly happy with me right now-" he started.

Rachel shifted her glare over to him.

"Of course I'm not fucking happy with you. I don't even know you and to add to that you haven't even listened to a single thing I said!" Her voice was rising in volume. And when she realized he was pulling over she crossed her arms over her chest and went back to glaring at the dashboard.

Richard pulled onto the side of the road and turned the car off before turning to look at her. He had forgotten how cold she could be when she didn't want to cooperate.

"Look Rachel. I get that you're mad-" He stopped when she growled at him.

"So I'm just supposed to completely and undoubtedly trust and believe someone who CLAIMS their my boyfriend? I've never seen you before in my life! Oh and to top it off you won't even tell me where the hell you're taking me!" She was screaming at him.

Richard slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration before starting up the car again.

"I really didn't want to do this, but if its the only way to prove to you...then you're giving me no choice." And with that they were driving again with Rachel sitting as close to her door as she possibly could.

"Where exactly are we going?" Rachel grumbled as she realized they were heading away from the more populated part of the city. But he didn't react and continued to stiffly drive.

When he finally turned off the road he glanced at her. Rachel was leaning slightly forward in her seat, probably looking for a sign as to indicate where they were.

_I hope he didn't get us lost. _She prayed as she peered through the darkness.

The car made a few slow, easy turns before stopping completely. She looked around, again trying to see through the darkness.

"Where are we?" Rachel asked mentally cursing the new moon. The car had stopped completely and now the two of them were just sitting there.

He turned off the car and undid his seatbelt.

"Get out and have a look around." His tone was cold, he was still irritated at her from earlier. This isn't anywhere close to how he had hoped their reunion would be.

Rachel sighed and undid her seatbelt. Figuring the only way to get answers was to listen, she reluctantly got out of the car.

Richard watched her look around for a moment before he saw recognition register across her features.

She took a few steps into the grass before dropping to her knees. Rachel didn't need to be able to read the headstone to know that she was at her grandmothers grave. Her grandmother had passed away a few years before.

"Why did you bring me here?" She fought to keep her voice steady.

"There was no other way to get you to believe me when I KNOW that you were determined not to." Richard made sure to keep his tone even and neutral. He didn't want to give her anymore reasons not to trust him.

"How did you know where her grave was, it was a private burial...just for family..." She trailed off, trying to stay calm.

"You asked me to bring you here."

She looked at him, not believing him at all.

"You needed a ride and I refused to leave you alone at the cemetery's gates after dark."

Rachel turned her back to him as his phone rang. She found it strange that her favorite song was his ringtone.

She looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night and the stars were shining bright.

His voice faded slightly as he took a few steps away from her.

****Honesty or Hiding****

Once Richard had ended the call he turned to look at her only to be shocked when he saw her reaching to pet a crow sitting right in front of her.

"Rachel, get away from that crow. They're vicious." Richard said striding forward and grabbing her wrist as she made to touch it.

_"Rachel, get away from that crow. They're vicious." Richard grabbed her wrist. She was kneeling in the grass and Richard was standing right behind her. _

_Rachel turned to look at him. "It's a raven, not a crow."_

_She pointed out smugly. _

_He sighed. "Still, it's a wild bird." Then he started trying to get it to fly away. _

_Rachel smacked his leg, trying to get him to leave the bird alone. _

_"Don't scare it."_

_"Fine. Then don't touch it." _

_Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, pouting slightly. _

_"And why can't I?" _

_He grinned cheekily. "Wouldn't you rather have me than a bird?"_

"Rachel."

"Rachel, Rachel!"

Rachel blinked realizing that Richard was in front of her and that the bird was gone.

She put a hand to her head muttering "It was a raven."

"Still, you shouldn't be trying to pet wild animals."

Rachel looked into his eyes, mesmerized by them for a split second. "I doubt you brought me here to lecture me about birds. Why are we here?"

Her voice was dry, she sounded like she couldn't care less.

"How about you look at the other side of the stone?" Richards voice was soft, remorseful. He really hadn't wanted her to find out like this.

Raising an eyebrow she got off the ground, went to the other side and looked at the stone, noticing the freshly churned earth.

"No...NO!" She looked at him then back at the grave.

"This isn't real..."

"I'm so sorry Rachel." Richard walked around the side of the grave as he spoke.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Some sort of twisted prank?"

"Rachel," He took a step closer and she took three back.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?" Rachel's voice shook slightly, she took three more steps back.

"I'm sorry. Please just listen to me. I want to explain." Richard took a step backwards and held his hands up, wanting to show her that he wouldn't hurt her.

"I'd never try to hurt you Rachel. I didn't want you to find out like this. You have to believe me."

"Stay away from me. You're a monster and a stalker." She was backing away, unsure what to do next. So she did the only thing she could think of. Rachel turned and ran towards the far entrance to the cemetery.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 4**

"Rachel!" Richard called as he took off, running after her.

"Leave me alone!" She called back.

Richard stopped when he reached the cemetery's gate, watching as Rachel's form got smaller.

****Disbelief****

Rachel ran all the way back to her apartment. _Luckily I only live a few miles away. _She thought gratefully as she walked through the front door of her building. She took the elevator to the fourth floor and grabbed the spare key that she kept in the potted plant at the end of the hall for emergencies. She went to her door, turned the key in the lock and let herself into her home. She tossed the key on the coffee table as she walked through the living room, down the short hallway and into her room. Not even bothering to undress, she collapsed on the bed and let herself sleep.

Richard made his way back to his car. He knew where she was going but didn't know if he should follow her. With a frustrated sigh he turned on the car and drove towards the other gate. _I'll just follow her to her house and make sure she gets inside safely then I'll leave. _His conscience validated the stalker-ish action.

_"And why can't I?" _

_He grinned cheekily. "Wouldn't you rather have me than a bird?"_

_She bit her lip and looked at him,almost nervously. _

_"Maybe." She mumbled looking away. _

_Richard kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his. _

_"Where's that pretty little smile I love so much?" He gently kissed the tip of each of her fingers. _

_Rachel looked up at Richard, giving him a small shy smile. _

_"I should probably get you home, you've had a long day." Richard helped Rachel to her feet and started guiding her to the car. _

Rachel sat up in bed breathing heavily. _Richard. He's brought me to the cemetery before?_

She tried to remember every little detail about the dream. But the more she wanted to remember it the faster it slipped away from her. Looking over at her clock she found that it was already nine in the morning.

"Guess I better get up." Rachel muttered as she made her way to the bathroom.

Still barely awake she went through her morning ritual of using the bathroom, brushing her teeth, taking a shower, getting dressed and brushing her hair.

It was as Rachel was getting out of her shower and going back to her room to rummage through her closet to look for something to wear when she tripped and fell face first on the floor.

"What the hell-" She looked back at her feet to see what she had tripped on.

_Boxers?_

"What the fuck happened in here? Why are there guys clothes thrown all around my room?" She murmured looking around.

She stood up and grabbed all the random clothes, throwing them in the basket by her bedroom door. Looking at the basket she glared at it as if it had attacked her, wondering whose clothes were all over her apartment.

_Maybe I should just burn them? _A grin appeared on her face following that thought.

She had just found something to wear when the doorbell rang.

"I'm coming!" She called out as she pulled on her bathrobe and pulled the towel out of her hair. It rang again and she huffed in frustration as she opened the door part way.

"Ye- What are you you doing here?" She asked in shock at seeing Richard at her door. She was so shocked she opened the door the rest of the way with out thinking twice about it.

"May I come in?" He asked completely ignoring her question. He raised an eyebrow when he saw what she was wearing.

Rachel saw him raise his eyebrow and blushed when she remembered that she was in nothing but her bathrobe.

He nudged his way past her and let himself in.

"Wh-w-where do you think you're going? A- what are you doing here?" Rachel stuttered as he began making his way down the hall.

"Checking on you." Richard replied as he neared the end of the hall by Rachel's room.

"Ugh! Get out of my room, get out of my apartment!" He stopped at the door to her room and looked at her.

"Do you REALLY want me to leave?" She gave him a look that practically screamed 'no duh' and pointed to the door.

He looked deep into her eyes, trying to find any hint of his old girlfriend before looking at the floor.

"Alright." He started making his way back to the door.

Rachel instantly felt bad about making him leave but she didn't know why.

"Richard," She knew she was going to regret this. "You can stay…if you want. Just let me put some clothes on."

His eyes brightened up immediately and he moved to sit on her couch, whistling to himself.

Yup. She was _already _regretting it.

****Learning*****

Rachel walked into her living room in a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt that she had found in her closet with a hair brush in her hand. Richard was looking at her large book shelf, only it seemed that one shelf was home to a bunch of photographs instead of her beloved books.

"What did you do with my books?" She asked as she walked up to stand next to him, running the brush through her hair.

"You put them somewhere, I don't knew where though…" Richard trailed off as he picked up a picture he had taken of them on a beach. He smiled fondly at the memory.

Rachel scanned the shelf in shock, every single picture was of her and Richard.

"It took you quite a while to stop saying that you didn't want anything more than friendship, but after I found you on your way to the cemetery one night you seemed to see me differently."

"It's not right. Apparently you were a big part of my life, but…I don't remember any of this. I don't remember ever seeing you before I woke up." She sighed and glared at the picture that was directly in front of her. One of them laying on a blanket under a tree in some woods.

"I know. But we can't change it and until your memory decides to come back we're both going to have to deal with this." He put his hand on her shoulder and she flinched under the contact before stepping away. Such a polar opposite to how she normally reacted to him. _Yup, this is going to take time to get use to._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 5**

Rachel stepped backwards and bumped into the wall, suddenly extremely uncomfortable being this close to a guy she only just met. _No, not just met. I've known him for years. _Her thoughts corrected her. "I don't know what you're hoping for, but I'm not ready for _anything_ yet."

He took a small step back, knowing that she liked her space and nodded. "We can take this wherever you want. And as slow as you want. Just know that whatever happens, I'll always be here for you."

****Wondering****

Rachel took one last curious look at the photos, wondering what her life had been like before, and walked back to her room to put her brush away. She could hear him following her, but found it didn't bother her quite as much as before. And that somehow bothered her.

"Oh, before I forget," His voice came from the doorway. "I have your phone."

She stood in the mirror and debated what to do to her hair as he approached. He stood only inches behind her as he placed the phone on her dresser. Taking a deep breath she met his piercing ice blue eyes in the mirror and asked something that, if he was telling the truth, he should know the answer to. "What happened to put me in that coma?"

****Realization*****

He broke the connection and looked at the floor. He couldn't look at her as he explained. "You were in a car crash. A tractor trailer truck totaled your car. It was all over the news for days. You should have died in the crash. All the doctors were saying how you were lucky to have survived. I stayed with you the entire time, I never once left your hospital room for more than a few moments."

Rachel instantly paled. _I should have died? _She felt the world around her sway. She could see Richards lips moving, but she couldn't hear him. What was he saying? Why were his hands on her? Why wasn't she pushing him away? She was moving, the world spinning around her.

His words echoed in her head.

_You should have died._

_All over the news._

_Should have died._

_Lucky to survive._

_I should have died…_

"Rachel!" Richard saw her eyes finally focus on him. "Rach, don't scare me like that." He sighed in relief as she seemed to come back to the real world. She had started swaying on her feet, and backed against the wall looking like she was about to collapse then and there. And THAT is what had scared him so bad. As it was she still looked kind of out of it.

"Rachel, are you alright?"

"What did you call me?" Rachel could barely manage to stay upright, there were four Richards swaying in front of her.

Richard ignored her question and grabbed her shoulders worried about her reaction to him and what he had told her.

She rubbed her temples, and tried to focus on Richard but everything was still spinning. She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and groaned. "I think I should lay down for a bit. Anyway…what were you saying, about the accident?"

He shook his head and released her shoulders so she could walk to her bed. "No, I think that was more than enough story telling for one day."

She could feel her skin tingling were his hands had been moments before. And she wanted to know why. Why was he having such a strong effect on her. _I must have been crazy about him before…_

"Will you tell me something else then? Not about the accident."

Richard regarded her, taking a seat on the bed close to her. "What would you want to know about?"

Rachel leaned against the headboard, and looked at him. She took one of his hands in hers and examined it. _What is so special about him that makes me feel like this?_

"Tell me about us…what was I like before?" He smiled at that, big and bright.

Somewhere deep in her heart, a small part of her melted.

****Digging****

Later that night Rachel was laying in her bed reading when she heard a quiet buzzing. Startled she sat up and looked around her room. The cell phone was lit up and vibrating on her dresser where Richard had left it earlier.

Curious, she went and retrieved the phone before settling back in bed with it.

_If this really is my phone then it _should _be able to tell me a bit about what I was like. _She laughed to herself at the idea that she was completely different then because she had met a guy. Especially since she'd never really wanted a relationship before.

It buzzed again in her hands.

It was a blue iPhone 5c.

The passcode to get in was 0923. That was an important number to her.

She knew this because it was _her_ phone. What she didn't know was _why _0923 was important to her. What shouldn't have surprised her after today was her wallpaper. But it did. It was a picture of her and Richard on the beach. _Kissing? Awe come on! _Resigning herself with a sigh she scrolled through her pictures.

Most of them were her and Richard. "Big shocker." She muttered sarcastically.

Next she went through her messages, ready for the worst. Scrolling through, she couldn't find anything from Richard. _Hmmm… _She scrolled back to the top and looked through more carefully. It wasn't long before she found one conversation, between her and someone suspiciously named 'The Boy'. _Figures _she thought rolling her eyes. Going through those messages could wait till later, she decided.

Reaching over, she found the cord right where she left it. She plugged the phone in to charge, set it to 'Do Not Disturb' and put it on her night stand. She definitely had to think about everything she had learned. With a tired sigh, she closed her eyes and let sleep drag her under.

****Struggling****

Richard spent most of the day with Rachel. Even after he had left her apartment he had stayed nearby for several hours afterward. He had only gone home long after the sun went down and he couldn't find another excuse to hang around any longer than he already had.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 6**

Not being able to be with Rachel was harder than he thought it would be. He was so used to spending nights next to her, and now that she was back…he wanted that again.

_I miss you Rach, you're so close but still out of reach!_ He wanted to just go back to her apartment and watch her sleep. If only for a moment. It wasn't like he though he was never going to see her again. No, he planned on seeing her first thing in the morning. It was more like he was missing what they had. He missed being able to hold her, kiss her, love her.

It had been easier the first time around. He didn't know how much he was going to need her. Before he had to show her that he wasn't like everyone else, he had to show her that he wasn't going to just disappear and leave her alone. Being patient and going slow had been easier the first time. Now it's not going to be as easy, but he knew that if he ever wanted her back he had to be patient with her. Rachel needed to once again be shown that he wasn't just going to disappear.

As Richard laid down in his bed that night he began forming a plan to help Rachel remember him.

_****_Tests****

The next day Rachel woke to knocking at her front door. Grumbling about being woken up she went to see who was there. She was and wasn't surprised when she opened the door and found Richard on the other side of it.

"Morning Rachel, are you ready to go and try to find that memory of yours?" He was all smiles and determination.

Rachel opened the door all the way with a tired sigh and walked away, leaving the door open as invitation for him to come in. On her way to the bathroom for a shower she caught a glimpse of the clock and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the time.

"Richard?" Her tone was just barely controlled.

"Mhhmmm?" He was making himself right at home in her kitchen, going through her cabinets. He was looking for the coffee k-cups he knew were somewhere in the kitchen.

"Was it really necessary to wake me up at quarter of **8** on a **Sunday**?" Richard froze, k-cup half-way to the keurig.

"Of course it was!"

Rachel just rolled her eyes before walking into the bathroom for a shower, double checking that she locked the door.

Two hours, a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, and a lot of shameless flirting later Richard and Rachel were out ice skating at what _had _been one of their favorite ice rinks. Richard had expected to have to teach her how to skate again and was surprised when she took off.

"When did you learn to skate?" He asked thinking that getting her memory back would be easier than he had anticipated.

She shrugged.

"A few years ago, a friend taught me." She smiled softly at the ice beneath her.

"Do you remember who?" He frowned, _he _taught her to skate. Trying to act like it didn't matter who taught her was hard.

She shook her head slowly, "No, but I don't see how it matters now. I know how to skate."

There went Richards thought that this would be easy. _Figures._

Someone flew by them and shoved Rachel out of their way. She lost her balance and braced herself to land on the unforgiving ice, but it never came. She glanced around and realized Richard had caught her before she could hit the ice. "You alright?"

"Sure." She replied quietly. She could feel her cheeks heating up and didn't like it.

"Let's get out of here, it's getting really crowded." Richard suggested. He had plenty of others things he wanted to try with her.

She nodded without looking at him and started making her way to the gate so they could switch out their ice skates for their shoes.

And thats how it was for the next couple days. Richard showing up in the morning, usually waking Rachel up, and them going out doing things that Richard kept hoping would jog her memory of him. At the end of each day they would go back to her apartment with Richard slightly more discouraged than he had been the previous day and then he'd answer a few questions before leaving her alone for the night and going back to his own house.

One morning about a week after Richard began trying to jog her memory, the routine changed.

Richard knocked on her door, like he always does. But when Rachel opened the door her eyes were bloodshot and this surprised him.

Rachel barely looked at him when she opened the door for him to come in. She turned her back to him almost immediately and went back to the couch.

He cautiously entered her apartment, following her to the living room where he leaned against a wall and watched her. The coffee tables surface couldn't be seen because of all the papers and photographs she had on it.

He didn't speak. He didn't move.

He watched and he waited. Thats what he had learned worked best, she would talk when she was ready and not before so he would always watch and find out what he could on his own.

Rachel was staring at the mess in front of her. None of it made sense. From the old yearbooks, to the pictures, to the stuff she had printed off her phone, the past week…none of it made any sense. She had even found an old journal that she had apparently kept the last few months before she went into her coma. _But how the hell does any of this fit together?_

"I spent all last night going through my stuff and trying to figure this out…" Richard nodded as she trailed off. Her living room was trashed, and if the coffee table said anything, the rest of her apartment was torn apart as well.

"Maybe I could help-" He offered moving towards the couch.

"NO!"

He froze where he was. Halfway between the wall and the sofa.

"Why have you taken me out everyday, all day, for the past week? That must have cost you over two grand."

"It doesn't matter what it cost." He started slowly. "I wanted you to help you get comfortable around me again. And see if we could maybe, jog some of your memories. Every place I took you had a special memory of us attached to it."

****Coping****

Rachel picked up the journal and leafed through a few pages until she found a folded piece of paper between two blank pages. "And this?" She held up the paper and shook it for him to see.

"When were you going to tell me about this?"


	7. Chapter 7

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 7**

Richard closed the distance between them and silently took the paper from her hand. His eyes quickly scanned it. She was never supposed to know about this.

"Where did you find this?"

_She didn't know about this before she lost her memory, I made sure of it._

"I found it in my stuff." She had her arms crossed over her chest when he looked at her.

"Rachel, I'm not kidding around. Where the hell did you find this?" His words were harsher than his tone. _She wasn't supposed to know about this._

She picked up the journal, showing it to him. "It was in here. And this book is **mine. **Like I said, I found it in my stuff."

She stepped forward and tried to snatch the paper back from him. "Now I'll ask again. When were you going to tell me about that?"

Richard stepped back and held it over his head, well out of her reach. "I wasn't. You weren't supposed to know about this. I didn't think you knew before the accident either but apparently I was wrong."

"I think I have the right to know that you paid for everything for my mothers funeral. And as long as we're on the subject of her funeral, is there anything else about it that you would like to tell me that I don't remember? Because I'm going to find out everything one way or another. Whether it's before my memory returns or after, it doesn't matter. I have the right to know everything." Her eyes were redder than they had been a few minutes ago.

Rachel wanted to do nothing but cry for her mother right now, but she wasn't about to let herself cry in front of Richard. He was keeping things from her, important things, and that was reason enough for her to distrust him and want her out of her home.

"Get out." He barely heard her.

"Rachel I-"

"I said get out. NOW!" She screamed at him and pointed to the door.

He didn't move. He knew she was upset, and whether or not she still loved him she would regret doing something rash later.

"I'll call the cops…Get out or I'll call the police, I-I mean it!" Her voice was starting to shake and she was almost at the point of being hysterical.

"Rachel," Richard folded the paper back up and put it in his back pocket before slowly approaching her. "You're exhausted and upset. You need to get some rest and sleep."

She backed away from him, _frightened _of him. "No, stay away from me! Leave! I'm going to call the police." A small part of her brain told her she would never follow through with that threat.

_But he doesn't know that._

Rachel bumped into a wall and sank to the floor. She had, literally, backed herself into a corner.

Richard was towering over her.

He was still coming closer.

_Her vision was filled with the trucks headlights__._

He wasn't going to stop.

_Just like that truck!_

She threw her hands up over her face and screamed. Loud and long.

Richard crouched down in front of her, unsure of how to help her. After a few moments of her continual screaming and his debating, he got down in front of her. Taking her hands in his he gently pulled them away from her face. She was crying and it was breaking his heart to see her like this.

She tried to pull her hands out of his grasp. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Go away! It's your fault." She wasn't yelling at him, now it was coming out as a whisper.

Rachel tried to push herself further into the corner and curled up into a ball, laying her head on her knees. Everything was still for a few minutes, then the floor disappeared from under her. She screamed again.

"If you want to curl up, that's fine." His voice was close to her ear and she tensed. "But the couch is a lot more comfortable." His voice soothed her in a way she hadn't expected it to.

He set her on the couch and sat down next to her.

When Richard sat down the cushion she was on dipped and she fell towards him. What surprised her was that he wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her back slowly. Comfortingly.

Hours went by, her shaking had stopped, she had fallen asleep leaning on him.

Richard leaned down and kissed the top of her head and she sighed softly.

_Yeah. This is how it should be._

He knew she still remembered him, her heart wouldn't let her forget him completely. That's why she hadn't kicked him out of her life the day she woke up.

He sat there on her couch with her for another hour or so before finally giving in and doing the right thing. He picked her up and slowly started towards her bedroom.

Rachel shifted in her sleep and curled against him.

_I miss falling asleep with you in my arms Rae._

Richard looked at her sadly, wishing he could just lay down next to her and fall asleep with her in his arms like they use to.

Pulling back the blankets, he laid her in bed and pulled them back up to her shoulders. Spotting her phone on the nightstand he checked it and turned on 'Do Not Disturb' mode. Allowing himself one last look, he walk out of her home and locked the front door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 8**

_The horn blared._

_The wave was bigger than her car._

_She screamed._

_They crashed and her car flipped._

Rachel woke from her dream in a cold sweat, breathing heavy. She was terrified. _That must have been what happened to me…_

She knew she should call Richard. He had been trying to help her remember from the minute she woke up in the hospital. She unlocked her phone and considered the time.

"Screw it, I'm calling him." And with that Rachel called 'The Boy' not caring that she'd be waking him up.

_Please pick up. Please pick up!_

"Come on Richie, answer you-" She paused mid-sentence, realizing what she had said.

She couldn't figure out why she had said that. "Where the hell did that-"

"Hello?" Interrupted the tired voice of Richard. He was barely awake.

"Richard. I was beginning to think you weren't going to pick up." He could hear the obvious relief in her voice.

"Rachel? Whats going on? Are you alright?" He was instantly wide awake. Throwing the blankets off he got up and started making his way to his closet to get dressed.

"I had a dream, about before I went into the coma. Or at least I think it was the crash before I went into the coma."

"Alright, I'll come over and we can work together to figure out as much as we can." Richard already had a coat on and was walking out the door when he hung up with her. He was already mentally running through a list of cafes that would be open so he could surprise her with some tea.

****Discovery****

Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang, interrupting Rachels pacing. She was trying incredibly hard not to let any of the details from her dream escape but they were fading fast.

Rachel went and opened the door before going back to the kitchen to continue her pacing.

"Easy there. Keep it up and you'll wear a hole in your floor." He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her before giving her the tea.

She took it in both her hands before looking up at him. "Thank you." She murmured quietly before taking a small sip.

Richard smiled down at her as he led her over to the couch.

_She's not pulling away from my touch._

"Now why don't you tell me everything you can?" He asked as they sat down next to each other, their legs brushing.

With a sigh, Rachel began explaining her dream as best she could. She described everything. When she had finished she also told him of the flash back she had had while they had been at the cemetery and about the dream she'd had later that night.

Richard nodded slowly when she had finished speaking. "It seems like your subconscious is trying to help you remember. Giving you bits and pieces."

"But I don't know how they all fit together!" Rachel groaned in frustration.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "It'll all work out. I promise."

She sighed tiredly and leaned against his shoulder. "How do you know? How are you so sure about all of this?"

Richard looked at her curiously. First of all surprised that she was leaning on him and secondly shocked that she _didn't _think this would work out in the end.

"Rachel…I'm sure because I _know_ you. I remember what we had before and can have again. But more importantly, I know it'll work out because you want it to. You want answers. You want your memories back."

"What if they don't come back though?" He hadn't expected that one. It was a rare day when Rachel would admit to being insecure about something.

"They will eventually. But on the off chance that they don't, then we will work with it and try to fill in the blanks for you. We'll make the best of it." His words reassured her but she was worried about her memory coming back. She hated not knowing what happened in that missing time.

Rachel was jerked out of her thoughts when Richard squeezed her shoulders.

"Come on, you should probably go back to bed. It's still pretty early." Richard pointed out, looking at the clock on the cable box.

She shook her head. "Can I have a story instead? I don't know if I could sleep right now."

"Of course." He almost leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, but stopped himself before it was too late. That was just something that Rachel always use to say to him when she didn't want to do something. Only now, the stories he would tell her were always about what they had been like as a couple before her accident.

Three and a half stories later, Rachel had fallen asleep, laying down on the couch. They had both decided to lay down after Richard had finished the first story about one of their trips to the beach together. Richard was drifting off to sleep when he wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist from behind and pulled her back a few more inches from the edge of the couch. He heard her sigh contently before sleep claimed him.

When Richard woke up a couple hours later the sun was coming through the closed curtains and pooling on the floor. Looking down at Rachel, he realized she had buried her face in his shirt. She was curled up against him, just like she use to before the accident. It broke his heart.

She moaned quietly and inched a little closer to him.

_She's still asleep, so what harm could just _one _little kiss do? _And with that thought he leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on her temple, his lips lingering for an extra moment before he pulled away.

She moaned again and rubbed her nose against his shirt before settling down against him once more.

Thanks to years of practice and experience, Richard was able to get up off the couch and head to her kitchen without waking her. He started some coffee and grabbed a handful of papers off the coffee table before settling down to try and sort through some of this information to try and help Rachel with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 9**

When Rachel woke up, she found herself on the couch with a blanket over her. She had a pillow clutched to her chest, and another under her head. Sitting up slowly, she looked around her living room.

_Shouldn't Richard be around here somewhere? _She couldn't remember him leaving last night

"Richard?" She called as she got up. It was cold, she was going to need to turn up the heat.

Rachel took two steps before reaching back for the blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders. She began looking around, calling for him. Surprisingly enough, she was hoping that he would still be there.

She **wanted** him to still be there.

_Oh god, I think I'm losing it. _Nonetheless she called again.

"Richard?" And happily, she got a response.

"I'm in here Rachel." His voice came from the kitchen.

_And if I know Richard he'll be enjoying a cup of coffee._ And she was right, he was sitting at her kitchen table with a stack of papers in front of him, enjoying a cup of coffee.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she went and started a cup of herbal tea for herself.

He looked over at her, and watched her move around the kitchen for a moment before replying, "I was going through some of these papers. I want to help you try and understand everything."

****Trial****

Four hours later Rachel threw down the picture she had been looking at with a groan.

"I feel like we're getting nowhere with this." She let her head hit the table with a a soft 'thump'.

"Don't get frustrated." Richard hadn't even looked up from the papers in his hand.

She glared at him before walking back to her living room and falling backwards over the arm of her couch to land on it on her back.

He had looked up the second Rachel had walked past him, listening to her as she let herself collapse back on the couch. Getting up he followed her and stood at the end of the couch by her feet.

"So I take it you've had enough for now?" He was smirking down at her.

Rachel had her arms crossed over her chest. She watched him as he leaned on the armrest of the couch and cocked her head to the side. Studying him. She didn't know what it was about him but she felt…_drawn to him. Almost like I'm, lusting after him or something. But no, I can't be. I barely know him._

"Richard?" She propped herself up on her elbows.

"Could you do me a favor?"

She watched his eyes light up with curiosity. "Sure, anything."

Rachel pushed herself up so she was sitting normally on the couch. She patted the spot next to her for him to sit.

He took the seat offered and looked at her wondering what was running through her head.

She turned her body to face his and he mirrored the action.

"Can I try something?" He knew she was nervous. He knew just from the tone of her voice and how she couldn't sit completely still. She was playing with the hem of her shirt.

Rachel took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Not giving herself any chance to change her mind or chicken out she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Richards lips.

Richard smiled as she pulled back.

Their lips had just barely touched but it sent a jolt through Rachel.

_Richard and Rachel were walking along the hall to the door to her apartment. It was pouring out and both of them were soaked when they reached the door. _

_"__Thanks for getting me ice cream Richard." She brushed a strand of hair away from her face and leaned against the wall next to her door._

_"__No need to thank me, I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm just sorry that we got so wet." Rachel laughed lightly and nodded in agreement. _

_"__Did…did you mean what you said? About, wanting to always be there for me and protect me?" She wouldn't look at him and was playing with the sleeve of his sweatshirt that he had given her after the rain had started. _

_He knew she was nervous and on edge._

_Taking one finger he lifted her chin so she would look at him._

_"__Of course I did. I care about you a lot Rachel. Probably more than I should and would do anything for you." _

_With a small smile, he placed a featherlight kiss on her lips._

_"__I'll see you tomorrow, we can go to the cemetery. Goodnight Rachel." _

_She placed a finger to her tingling lips and watched him make his way back the way they had come._

"Rachel?" Richard said her name for the third time, waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinked a few times and looked at him wonderingly. "You kissed me in the hall? In front of my apartment?"

Richard smiled. Hooking a finger under her chin he lifted it a tad. "I care about you a lot Rachel. Probably more than I should and would do anything for you."

Then he placed a featherlight kiss on her lips.

Her eyes were wide. Confused. That is exactly what she had heard him say in the memory.

"That was our first kiss." He explained.

"So, that must have been not too long after that gang leader was harassing me and you stepped in while we were in high school, right?" She wanted to try and figure out how old that memory was.

"Thats right. It was our senior year."

"How long after that incident did you kiss me?" She had pulled a pillow into her lap and was fingering the edge of it.

"You know, I waited a whole like, five or six hours." He was talking like he was joking but she was pretty sure he was just trying to put her at ease.

"So we started going out during our senior year?"


	10. Chapter 10

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 10**

He nodded.

"For a while we had it good. We were almost done with high school, we were happy. You were always smiling, and laughing. Then everything changed when your mom got sick."

"I remember her being sick, and her having to go to the hospital in the ambulance." Rachel squeezed the pillow in her fists. She wished she could remember those missing days with her mother. Before the sickness had taken control.

"Alright, get up. We just had a major breakthrough, lets see if we can keep moving forward. I have an idea." Truthfully he just hated to see her upset.

_Theres nothing we can do about her mom now, but at least I can help her get her memory back._

Rachel didn't move, staying put on the couch.

"Rachel if you don't get up you're going to regret it." Richard threatened lightly.

"Humph." He grinned, he hasn't had the chance to do this in _ages_!

He lunged at her, pinning her back to couch and began tickling her. His fingers ran up and down her sides and arms.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh. She was so ticklish, and he was taking advantage of it.

"Ri-Richard. Stop! Please!" She was laughing so hard she was crying. Suddenly his fingers disappeared and she opened her eyes to look at him. She didn't remember closing them. Richard was gazing down at her.

"It's nice to see you smile like that again." It was lighting up her whole face, she hadn't smiled like that since before she lost her memory.

Rachel blushed and pushed him away from her so she could sit up.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." She muttered, walking away from him.

****Reveal****

When Rachel walked back into her living room in clean clothes after her shower she found Richard sitting on her couch with another cup of coffee. He had a small book in his hands and when she looked closer, Rachel realized it was the journal that had the papers about her mothers funeral in it.

"What are you doing with that?" She strode across the room and moved to take it but he stood up and held it out of her reach.

"I'm just reading it, what's the big deal?"

She humphed at him and put her hands on her hips before responding. "It's a big deal because from what I've read of it, it's private. My thoughts and feelings."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

Richard shrugged apologetically and gave the book back to her. "I didn't know it would bother you if I read it. But none of what I in it is news to me. You were pretty open about that kind of stuff with me before."

"Then…why did I have this book?" There was no accusation in her voice, now she just wanted to know what the point of it was.

"I'm not sure, but maybe we can find out." Richard took her hand in his. "Come on, there's somewhere I want to take you." And he led her out the door.

They walked out of the apartment building and ran through the rain to Richards car.

Rachel laughed as she ran ahead of Richard, pulling him behind her. Before long they were both laughing at they ran through the rain.

He unlocked the car and they both jumped in, closing the door before the rain could follow them.

As they drove the rain got worse. The storm kept picking up momentum, getting worse and worse. By the time they pulled into Richards driveway the roads had begun to flood.

"Quick, get in the house." She knew he was worried but wasn't sure why. It was just a storm, wasn't it?

Getting out of the car, they both beelined for the front door.

****Showing****

Rachel stood just inside his huge house, dripping wet from the rain. She looked around, feeling uncomfortable, like she didn't belong there.

"Do you want to get out of your wet clothes?" The question surprised her. That was the last thing she was expecting at the moment.

"Um, sure. I- I mean yes. Thank you." The words felt awkward and clumsy on her tongue. And yet, she knew he had asked her that question hundreds of time before.

_But how would I __know__ that he's asked me that before? This is the first time that I've ever been in his house._

Richard refrained from chuckling at her response. She owned more clothes than she realized.

_Probably half of her closet is here. _He laughed quietly at the thought as he motioned for her to follow him.

"I don't want to soak you floors…" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's fine. Come on, I'm sure you're just as eager to get out of those wet clothes as I am."

He took her by the arm and started leading her through the house that was much bigger than her own home. Once they were walking Richard released her arm and took her hand instead, giving it a light squeeze.

To his surprise and delight, she squeezed back.

Rachel looked out the windows they passed as lightning split the sky, lighting up the world around them. At least they had gotten here in one piece.

She paused as they passed a floor to ceiling window in his living room. His house was a mansion compared to her apartment.

_She looked out her window and was met with the high-beams of a tractor trailer truck coming directly at her._

Rachel blinked and the vision disappeared, but it had left her shaking and breathless. Richard had gone on ahead and disappeared from sight.

_He must have gone into a room or something…_

"Richard?" She called softly as she moved forward, suddenly wary alone in the strange house.

Trying the first door she came upon, Rachel found an office with a cluttered desk and some book shelves. The walls were covered in pictures of the two of them together, and some of just her.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she jumped.

"Wow, I never would have expected that to scare you." He thought it was kind of funny how easily she spooked now.

"I found some clothes for you." Honestly, he knew right where her stuff was, but he wasn't quite sure if she was ready to know that she had basically been living here for a while.

"Thanks." She murmured, taking the clothes offered to her.

"The bathroom is two doors down on you're left, or the guest room is the next door on your right. We can throw your wet stuff in the dryer after."

She turned her back to him with a small nod and scurried away, down the hall.

**Okay, so theres only a few chapters left! Hope you enjoy them!**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 11**

Rachel ran her fingers along the walls as she walked. She could hear the ghosts of hers and Richards laughter echoing in her head.

_How many time has he brought me here?_

Rachel changed in the bathroom before letting her gaze fall upon the picture fames lining the wall.

****Seeing****

_Each one of these pictures holds a special memory in it…a memory that I have no access to. _

She walked along the hallway, briefly stopping at a few of the photos as she went. She knew she should go find Richard so they could put her clothes in the dryer, but she was enjoying this. Turning a corner she walked right into the laundry room.

"So I guess you don't need help finding the dryer then?" Richard asked as he walked in. He had seen her leave the bathroom and followed behind her silently, wondering where she was going.

"No, I found it by accident. I was looking at the pictures on the walls." She opened the door to the dryer and threw her wet clothes in.

"Did they help at all?" He threw his wet clothes in along with hers.

"No, but there was a picture of me sleeping that I found rather disturbing."

Richard grinned, knowing the very picture she was talking about.

"What? Had you been stalking me or something?" Her tone was teasing as she stepped forward.

There was six inches between them.

"Something of the sort, yeah." His grin widened and he took a half step forward.

Two inches.

"Care to share?" She smirked and moved a little closer.

Half inch.

"It started, a little like this…" He leaned down and closed the distance between their lips, kissing her slowly. His hands wrapped loosely around her waist, not wanting to rush her. She laid her hands on his arms, slowly bringing them up to his shoulders, eventually wrapping them around his neck. Richard pulled back slowly and rested his forehead against hers. Rachel's cheeks were tinged pink. She tried to turn away, but he cupped her cheek so she would look at him.

"You're cute when you blush."

_"__You're cute when you blush." Richard tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. _

_She tried again to pull back, still embarrassed that he had kissed her in front of one of his friends._

_He smirked, pulling her back to his side. "If you don't stop trying to get away I'll have do it again, actually, I just might have to kiss you again anyhow. You're cute when you blush. Too cute."_

Rachel opened her eyes to see Richard looking at her carefully.

"You just had a memory, didn't you?" She nodded, realizing she was still in his arms.

"What did you see?" She shrugged and he pulled her a little closer.

He placed a kiss on her forehead before letting his arms fall to his sides and asking, "Wanna go look around?"

She looked up at him quickly before darting out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her so it would be harder for him to follow. She was laughing as she ran down the hall, away from the front door.

Rachel ran up a set of stairs and darted down another hallway, around a corner and ducked into a small closet.

_He probably heard me on the stairs, once he goes by I can double back and find somewhere else to hide._

She stood against the back wall, hiding behind the coats and shoes. After a few minutes of silence she could hear the soft pad of his foot steps down the other end of the hall.

"Rachel?" His foot falls were getting louder.

"I know you're up here somewhere Rae. And I'm going to find you." His voice came from right outside the door before slowly fading away as he passed her hiding place.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She counted to twenty before easing the door open and looking around the hallway. When she saw that the coast was clear she went back to the stairs and quietly went downstairs to the guest room, silently easing the door shut behind her.

_He'll never think to look for me in here._

Rachel wandered around the edge of the room, taking in her surroundings. The room was filled with books and bookshelves. She ran her fingers over the spines of some of her favorite books. Moving on, she went through the huge closet that was between the two floor to ceiling windows. Surprised enough, she found it full of clothes, they were also all her style and size. The bottom of the closet was filled with shoes, _also _her size. Going back over to one of the book shelves she grabbed a favorite title and went and laid on the queen size bed. The pillows and mattress were so soft.

"Ha, he'll never find me in here." She chuckled to herself.

"Who will never find you in here?" Rachel looked to her left, Richard was laying on the bed next to her with his hands behind his head. He was grinning at the ceiling.

"You." She put the book on the side of the bed and laid back with her hands behind her head like him.

"Now what _ever _gave you the idea that you could hide, and I wouldn't be able to find you?" She rolled on to her side and propped her head up on her hand.

"I don't know."

Richard rolled towards her and mirrored her position on the bed. He reached across the empty bed between them and pulled her closer so there was only a few inches separating them.

"I think I like this…I think I like it a lot." Her voice was quiet and her cheeks were pink again. She brought her hands to her face to try and hide her blush.

He lightly grabbed her wrist and pulled the hand away, and closer to him. He kissed the inside of her palm before putting her hand over his heart.

"Richie…" Rachel leaned closer to him and their lips met in sweet bliss.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, closing the small gap between the two of them.

Rachel didn't hesitate this time to bring her arms around his neck as she indulged herself in the sweet taste of his lips.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Unknown**

**Chapter 12**

When Rachel ran out of air she pulled back and nuzzled her nose against his chest. She saw it, everything. Richard ran his fingers through her hair and murmured, "It's been a while since you've called me that."

She smiled against his chest. "I missed you, so much."

She looked up at him and he caught her lips in another sweet, longing kiss.

****Remembering****

Rachel smiled against his kiss, she could remember every single time they've kissed like this. She remembered him, her doing everything she could while her mom was sick, him taking her to the cemetery, the funeral…the crash that put her in the hospital and the fight that had led up to it.

Richards hands were resting on her waist when he rolled on to his back, pulling her on top of him. His thumbs slipped under the hem of her shirt and found the bare skin underneath. His thumbs drew small invisible circles on her hips as he went in for another kiss.

Rachel turned her head slightly at the last second. His lips landed on the corner of her mouth. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. She didn't know how to tell him. She sighed softly and closed her eyes when she felt his fingers running through her hair.

"Rae…what's wrong sweetie?" His chest vibrated ever so slightly as he spoke. He rolled back on to his side so he could look at her face.

He kept his arms around her, and she buried her face in his shirt.

"Just, just hold me. Please." Her voice shook slightly, some of the things she remembered she might have been better off forgetting. The horrible little details that hurt her the first time around.

The storm still raging outside hit its peak, it knocked the power out a few minutes later. The temperature in the house dropped fairly quickly with the heat off and it wasn't long till the bedroom was chilly.

"Rae, you're cold." She was curled as close to him as she could be.

_I couldn't save her. _

"I'm going to get us a blanket." Her gaze was blank, and he knew she was lost in her thoughts. Which thoughts though, he wasn't sure. He stroked her cheek before sitting up and getting a throw blanket out of the closet.

_I couldn't even save myself._

He moved back to the bed and laid next to her, throwing the blanket over both of them.

_How could he still love me after all of this?_

Rachel moved so she was curled up against him again, her face buried in his shirt.

"Your mother use to call you 'Rae', remember?" His voice was as light as the fingers that were running along her arms. She nodded silently.

"You said you liked it when I started calling you that too. You told me that both of the people you cared about most were close to your heart that way. And it helped keep the memory of your mom alive." Rachel nodded again. She could remember having that conversation with him.

"Rachel," He tilted her chin up a bit so her could see her eyes, "Whatever it is that has you so quiet, it's fine. Don't worry about it right now."

A bolt of lightning lit up the room as the wind howled outside the windows.

"I remember, everything." He barely heard her over the clap of thunder.

"Thats great." He murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Theres one thing I don't understand though, about the fight we had that day…" She trailed off, not sure how to explain the uneasy feeling she had thinking about that fight.

"Do you, really…want to talk about that right now?" He asked taking her hand in his and twining their fingers together.

She nodded, not meeting his piercing gaze. "I want to understand this. I _need _to understand."

She drifted into silence for a few minutes before she continued. "I know why we were fighting, but we've had fights before. But what I don't understand is why I left, it wasn't that big of a deal…was it?" Her voice dropped to a whisper as she finished, unsure now.

He kissed her knuckles before replying. "I didn't think it was a big deal, but you were already upset, and still grieving your mom. I think it just tipped you over the edge."

"I thought you betrayed me." Her eyes clouded and she buried her face in his shirt again as the memory cleared up a bit more. She never had expected him to lie to her about anything. She thought he had betrayed her.

"I found the papers from her funeral, found out you had lied to me. I _trusted _you and thought you had been trying to hurt me. But now…I know you only did because you thought it was best."

Richard sat up and leaned against the headboard, pulling Rachel into his lap. "I didn't want you to worry about the money, I wanted to help you. But someone has always been a little too proud and stubborn, just like her mother."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Richie."

He chuckled and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm more sorry that you threw your book at me."

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that by the way, did it hurt?"

"Nah Rae, you're not that strong." They were both laughing by then.

Rachel smirked and knocked him over and proudly sat on top of him. He raised an eyebrow and rolled them over so he was on top. He grabbed her wrists with both hands and pinned them above her head. Leaning down he chastely kissed her. Rachel frowned at him and tried to roll them over again, but he was bigger, and wasn't successful.

"Awe, is the pretty girl stuck?" He teased lightly.

She grinned up at him. "When I get out of here, I'm gonna get you. Just you wait and see."

He leaned down again, and kissed her deeply. At some point during the kiss, the power came back on and the house hummed back to life.

When they finally parted he rested his forehead against hers.

"Richie?"

"Yes my sweet." He rolled off of her and laid next to her once again, wrapping her in his arms.

"I love you."

He smiled and kissed her nose. "I love you too."


End file.
